i'd rather be baking

Last week I got an email from Williams-Sonoma. This email may as well have been addressed to me personally, because it detailed a package of four little pastry cutters, in the shapes of three leaves and one little acorn. I swooned, and drove straight to the mall after work.

It helps that we still have a couple of gift cards left over from our wedding, but who am I kidding? I would have bought them anyway. And it’s a darn good thing, too, because I just don’t make a whole lot of pastry. I don’t know why; probably because I just don’t have the patience for it. But that needs to change, and these little babies are just the motivation I need.

That being said, I spent last weekend Christmas shopping with my sister and come Sunday afternoon, we were tired but needed to bake a dessert for a dinner party the following evening. I pulled this recipe out of my back pocket and whipped out the pretty little pastry cutters for their test-drive.

This recipe is one I’ve been making for Thanksgiving for several years now, simply because it’s just so easy. It’s sweet and tangy and has just the right amount of spice. If you’re like me, and not a big fan of making your own pie crust, it’s even better. And I say, if you cut that pre-made pie crust into delicate little leaves and brush them with a bit of egg, your family probably won’t believe you didn’t make the crust anyhow.

Easiest Apple Pie
Adapted from KraftFoods.com

6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (Granny Smiths are best)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 ready-to-use refrigerated pie crusts (1 package)*
1 egg
1 teaspoon water

Williams-Sonoma’s Fall Forest Piecrust Cutters

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the pie crusts from their box and set them (still plastic-wrapped) on top of the oven to soften.

Toss apples with granulated sugar, tapioca, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Let stand 15 minutes.

When the crusts have nearly come to room temperature, press one into the bottom of your pie plate. Roll the other out onto a large cutting board and use the leaf of your choice to cut as many leaves out of the dough as possible. I know, it’s my bad, but I didn’t count how many we had. Suffice it to say that we used every scrap of that pie crust and only had about four leaves left over when the pie was finished.

Spoon the apple mixture into the crust-filled pan and use the back of your spoon to press it down slightly and evenly. Use your leaves to cover the top of the pie. You can cover the top completely, or use the leaves to form the easiest-ever lattice pattern (think traditional lattice pie). You can even line the outside edge of the pie with leaves. It’s up to you — they’re so darn cute, it probably doesn’t matter how you arrange them.

Gently beat the egg and water and brush lightly over the top crust. Bake the pie 45-50 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned and the juices are bubbly (you can really only see this if you don’t cover the top completely with leaves, so that’s my recommendation). Check the crust about halfway through baking — if the outside edges are already browning, cover them with foil so that they don’t burn.

*The original recipe includes a crumb topping rather than a second crust. If you’d like to go this route rather than purchasing your own novelty leaf-shaped pastry cutters (which I totally understand), skip the second crust, egg, and water. Stir together 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup brown sugar, and use a pastry blender or your fingers to cut in 1/4 cup cold butter or margarine until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the otherwise-finished pie and bake as directed.